Digital graphic design and media editing applications (hereafter collectively referred to as image editing applications or media editing applications) provide graphical designers, media artists, and other users with the necessary tools to view and edit an image. Examples of such applications include iPhoto®, Aperture®, iMovie® and Final Cut Pro®, all sold by Apple, Inc. These applications give users the ability to edit images in a variety of manners. For example, some applications provide different range sliders for adjusting different color values of an image or a video.
Many media editing applications, however, do not provide intuitive exposure adjustment controls. For example, the user is required to have extensive knowledge about exposure editing in order to effectively use most of the existing exposure adjustment tools. Furthermore, the controls for adjusting different aspects of the exposure values of an image are dispersed in different locations of the user interface. These deficiencies cause unnecessary inconvenience in editing an image.